Does anyone think we should bring in a veteran back for insurance in case Mallet get’s injured , doesn’t perform , or bolts to the NFL ?
Or do we think Terry Grant is going to be ready and a viable back up and a player to take on a role like Thigpen had as occasional running back , receiver and kick returner.
Would you bring one in and if so which one would you choose ?
Right now the following are available ?
Joffrey Reynolds – Calgary – Age 32
Wes Cates - Sask – Age 32
Fred Reid - WPG - Age 29
Avon Cobourne - HAM - Age 33
My Choice is Reynolds is healthy because of his familiarity with Burris and Cortez ...2knd choice is Reid ,
i think Grant can be a star in this league if he fully recovered and utilized properly .
I'd say bring in Reynolds and let him know he's not fighting for the starting role at least initially that he is looked upon as insurance and a backup for now . Reynolds would know that if he wows them they would change their mind . He also knows Malllet could leave, falter or get injured. If Reynolds impresses then either could be traded as well .
I don't see Porter on the roster and in my opinion he is not at the calibre of the list of players I mentioned .
I assume you are referring to Daniel Porter .
Knowing Cortez he will bring in one of these backs I mentioned ..just my opinion .
I am looking forward to training camp to see the Cortez / Burris offence and see how Mallet looks and how Fantuz fits in and where stala will fit in and the emergence and maturation of Bkari Grant , Aron Kelly , Jeffers, and C. Williams and see how Terry Grant fits in ..I am also excited to see soem of the DB;s we brought in late last year like :
Woodny Turenne, Dee Webb, Loyce Means , Milt Collins and a healthy Ryan Hinds .
I also suspect they wil bring in some competition at DLINE or at least I hope so .,.and it should be interesting to see what happens with Giguerre and there will be soem good young high draft picks coming in comepeting for spots on the OLINE too ...
I see our weakest areas right now is both OLINE AND DLINE with losses of Hickman, Rottier , and previously
I don't think you will see any of these guys show up at a training camp for or around league minimum. Maybe after. There is at least one to three running backs that fall to injury every year. Better to wait and try to get an opportunity to play and prove you still got it, then sign a two year deal for peanuts.
Thanks for Porter, didn't realize he'd been released. Maybe Darcy Brown will be the backup ???
Stephenson is the third RB on the roster right now. And as you say, these guys should be available in case of injury. Cobb too, I think, assuming he’d come back.
Oh my goodness are you serious about Darcy Brown as the backup ..lord help us if you are ...
Terry Grant is likely the current backup .
I have never seen so many proven elite running backs let go in such a short time..I wonder if it is all about money
Reynolds lost his job because a canadian Cornish PROVED HE CAN DO THE JOB...Same thing in winnipeg but it's an american Chris Garret that is likely being paid peanuts instead of Reid..Mallet will earn less than Coburne as well ..
and west makes less than cates in SASK
I don't see the Tiger Cats signing any one of the guys you mentioned above.
If the Tiger Cats were interested in having a veteran back behind Mallet, I don't think we would of released Cobourne so early.
I realize Cobourne asked for a release to sign with another team when free agency started, but none of these guys are going to sign with a team until just before TC starts, or a running back goes down to injury.
And if the Tiger Cats are going to sign anyone - I would like to see Cobourne back here. We saw that he could still produce at a high level and plus he's a great blocker....
I think they'll likely sign someone nobody has heard of before (Thigpen, eg.). It's a lot cheaper to hire someone like that than an old, possibly washed up (?) veteran running back, imo.
Some of us Als fans were horrified when Cobourne went to the Cats but, we were rewarded when Whitaker replaced him. I thought Cobourne had a good year with the TiCats although I can remember thinking that he may be in decline when I saw him drop some short passes in a couple of games. Should any team suffering injuries in their offensive backfield I believe this would be Cobourne's chance for another turn in the CFL. Should the Als sustain injuries, I personally would give him another year with the team.
I think the fact that Grant is still on the roster is a good sign he can come back at some point. He doesn’t have vet status so they don’t have any obligations to him. He shows so much promise that it’s crazy. I was super impressed with him in the 2011 Moncton game.
You can be sure at least 3 new RB will be at camp and you never know what Obie has up his sleeve.
His potential is through the roof. In just 3 games he racked up 238 yards of offense (9.5 yards per touch) and 3 Touchdowns…basically as a back-up. He could be Thigpen 2.0
I’m starting to wonder if that hit Cobourne took late in the season was more serious that anyone let on. It sure looked like a concussion to me, the way he stood up slowly and shook his head a couple of times. It was after that hit that we started seeing him drop easy passes. And who knows what impact Grant’s injury will have on his speed and mobility?
Maybe the team only brought Mallett in as insurance, not knowing whether Cobourne or Grant would recover fully in time for training camp, and that Cobourne was still going to be the primary back.
I agree with this and remember thinking the exact same thing. But Cobourne is more of an old school type of player and probably never let on to the seriousness of the hit. It’s honourable to “take one for the team” but you have to know when to remove yourself if it affects the team negatively.
However, I think Obie brought Mallet in just because the opportunity was there. To replace Avon with a younger guy. It’s definitely the current trend this year in the CFL with the release of Cates, Reynolds, and Reid.